A Mother and a Rose
by Emeera Vashishth
Summary: When a stranger lies closest to his heart. Especially if it's a kid.


A MOTHER AND A ROSE

'Mister, mister will you help me find me find my mummy?'

He didn't know how that timid voice or that insignificant figure blurring in the morning rush, managed to grab his attention. As he recollected, he had been walking to his usual corner at the bus stop, completely oblivious to any sound or touch, clutching the red rose inside his jacket. Apart from getting duct tape for the hole in the roof, there was nothing else he had been worried about. Until of course, that kid had decided to ruin his momentary bliss.

Now he stood, unmoving at the same spot, looking at the over-energetic little monster waving frantically at him. He could have moved on and let the guilt catch up to him later. He could have turned around and blended into the familiar crowd of strangers. But instead, like a possessed man having lost any will of his own, he walked towards the big brown eyes expectantly looking at him through the thick, brown curls. Maybe it was because of the word 'mummy'.

Her smile stretched into an unimaginable length as she saw him tread through the humongous clot of human traffic and head towards her. The moment he was within a reachable range, she impatiently grasped his hand and swiftly swept him along with her. He, a man with no obligations in life, had willing taken responsibility of her, a lost child.

Progressing away from the suffocating human debris, they stopped outside the park, where she spun around to state the obvious, 'I want to find my mummy. Mister, help me find her, okay.' 'Why not sweetie,' he beamed down at her. By now he was utterly captivated by her sweet, bubbly manner, her skips and hops, that smile that never left the features of her face and yes, the big brown eyes.

On enquiring where the accused was last spotted, she simply answered, 'I dunno', but thought a lot about what the accused looked like before finally replying, 'Like me, of course.' He sighed and they began their hunt, raiding every shop, park and even the public toilets. Somewhere during this expedition, the little brown-eyed thing had managed to acquire an ice-cream cone. He was being generous considering that he had lost his game last night, now he would probably have to scab off his roommate. Letting out an exaggerated groan he gazed down at the 'little bundle of joy'- whose ever she was- and somehow recollected memories of a certain boy, some twenty years ago. Utterly lost but still looking for something, desperately clinging to his elder brother. No wonder he had always carried a soft spot for little brats.

His temporary charge was currently smiling and humming a contagious tune while still grasping his hand, and somehow that relieved him from the weight of his mundane memories. Maybe it was his imagination- he had to stop eating the expired canned food soon- but she shone. She tilted her head and looked at him like she was his sun, preparing to engulf him with her light. He cringed at the thought of something so surreal; the little brat was undeniably beginning to infect him. He had to find her mother soon. He contemplated whether it would be useful to inspect the mall again.

A few hours' later, two exhausted figures sat eating ice-cream under the old banyan tree. He was wondering what he would do if the couldn't find her mother; he had already paid for five ice-cream cones, at this rate he would be penniless by next hour. He was weighing possibilities when a short, stout woman ran towards them- well she did walk as fast as her fat legs would carry her. The brown eyed midget stood up while still licking her ice-cream and smiling- he wondered if she even smiled in sleep. Was this her mother? Couldn't be, she looked nothing like her daughter. She stopped in front of them and drew laboured breaths. Panting and sweating she managed to present an apology without fainting.

'I'm very sorry...sir. So sorry... for your inconvenience. Mister..ahh'

'Sha Gojyo .And no problem ma'am, I'm happy you found your daughter', he replied while wondering if she had even bothered looking for her daughter. He didn't like that woman.

'Daughter! No! You see, Emeera stays at the orphanage, I'm her warden. You see, we were on a field trip when she suddenly ran away from the group at the bus stop and...'

He didn't wait for the warden to finish or to reason how the brat had managed to spot him through the crammed mass of people. Kneeling down carefully near Ms. Brown eyes- Emeera- he reached inside his jacket and produced the red rose.

'Here, whenever you want to search for your mummy, take me along will you sweetie?' he whispered as he tucked the red rose between her curls. Emeera nodded her head vigorously and quietly whispered back an 'I will, Mister'.

The two orphans looked at each other with deep understanding.


End file.
